Ayurvedic
medicine

If you can wiggle your toes with the mere flicker of an
intention, why can't you reset your biological clock?

If you could live in the moment you would see the flavor of
eternity and when you metabolize the experience of eternity your body doesn't age.

Ayurveda is the science of life and it has a very basic,
simple kind of approach, which is that we are part of the universe and the universe is
intelligent and the human body is part of the cosmic body, and the human mind is part of
the cosmic mind, and the atom and the universe are exactly the same thing but with
different form, and the more we are in touch with this deeper reality, from where
everything comes, the more we will be able to heal ourselves and at the same time heal our
planet. --Deepak Chopra

Ayurvedic medicine, in the United States, is an "alternative" medical practice that claims it is
based on the
traditional medicine of India. Ayurveda is derived from two Sanskrit terms: ayu meaning
life and veda meaning knowledge or science. Since the practice is said to be some
5,000 years old in India, what it considers to be knowledge or science may not coincide with the
most updated information available to Western medicine.

According to Stephen Barrett, M.D.:

Proponents state that Ayurvedic medicine originated in
ancient time, but much of it was lost until reconstituted in the early 1980s
by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. (Barrett
2004)

The St. Paul to the Maharishi is Deepak
Chopra, who has done more than anyone else to spread the good word in
the United States about
the wonders of Ayurveda.

Many Ayurvedic practices were handed down by word
of mouth and were used before there were written records. Two ancient
books, written in Sanskrit on palm leaves more than 2,000 years ago, are
thought to be the first texts on Ayurveda--Caraka Samhita and
Susruta Samhita....

Ayurveda has long been the main system of health
care in India, although conventional (Western) medicine is becoming more
widespread there, especially in urban areas. About 70 percent of India's
population lives in rural areas; about two-thirds of rural people still
use Ayurveda and medicinal plants to meet their primary health care
needs. In addition, most major cities have an Ayurvedic college and
hospital. Ayurveda and variations of it have also been practiced for
centuries in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Tibet. The
professional practice of Ayurveda in the United States began to grow and
became more visible in the late 20th century.

Ayurvedic treatments are primarily dietary
and herbal. As I note
elsewhere, dangerous amounts of lead have been found in Ayurvedic
medicines, including ghasard, a brown powder given to relieve
constipation in babies, and mahayogaraj gugullu, for high blood
pressure. A
study
of shops in the Boston area by Robert Saper et al. found high
concentrations of lead, mercury, and arsenic in Ayurvedic medicine. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 12 cases of lead
poisoning in 2004 associated with Ayurvedic remedies in Texas, New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and California.

Patients are classified by body types, or prakriti, which are determined by
proportions of the three
doshas. The
doshas allegedly regulate mind-body harmony. Illness and disease are considered to be a
matter of imbalance in the doshas. Treatment is aimed at restoring harmony or
balance to the mind-body system. Vata, composed
of air and space, allegedly governs all movement in the mind and body and must be kept in
good balance. Too much vata leads to "worries, insomnia, cramps and constipation....Vata
controls blood flow, elimination of wastes, breathing and the movement of thoughts across
the mind." Vata also controls the other two principles, Pitta and Kapha.
Pittais said to be composed of
fire and water; it allegedly governs "all heat, metabolism and transformation in the
mind and body. It controls how we digest food, how we metabolize our sensory perceptions,
and how we discriminate between right and wrong." Pitta must be kept in
balance, too. "Too much [Pitta] can lead to anger, criticism, ulcers, rashes
and thinning hair." Kapha
consists of earth and water. "Kapha cements the elements in the body,
providing the material for physical structure. This dosha maintains body
resistance....Kapha lubricates the joints; provides moisture to the skin;
helps to heal wounds; fills the spaces in the body; gives biological strength,
vigor and stability; supports memory retention; gives energy to the heart
and lungs and maintains immunity...Kapha is responsible for emotions of
attachment, greed and long-standing envy; it is also expressed in
tendencies toward calmness, forgiveness and love." Too much Kapha leads to
lethargy and weight gain, as well as congestion and allergies.

On the basis of the above metaphysical physiology, Ayurveda recommends such things as: to pacify Kapha eat spicy foods and
avoid sweet foods, except for honey but don't heat the honey. Avoid tomatoes and nuts.
Turkey is fine but avoid rabbit and pheasant. If you've got too much Pitta then try this: eat
sweet foods and avoid the spicy. Eat nuts. To reduce Vata: eat sweet, sour and
salty foods; avoid spicy foods. Nuts are good and so are dairy products.

These herbal and dietary practices are thought to be
necessary for good health in Ayurveda because they are believed to have the
power to restore harmony and balance to mind, body, and spirit. This alleged
harmony and balance is said to be the key to health.

Meditation is also a significant therapy in Ayurveda.
According to Kurt Butler (1992):

The beliefs and practices of Ayurvedic medicine fall
into three categories: (1) some that are obvious, well established, and
widely accepted by people who have never heard of Ayurveda [e.g., relax and
don't overeat]; (2) a few that proper research may eventually prove valid
and useful [herbal remedies may contain useful drugs, but their dangers and
limitations often have not been scientifically investigated]; (3) absurd
ideas, some of which are dangerous [e.g., that most disease and bad luck is
due to demons, devils, and the influence of stars and planets; or that you
should treat cataracts by brushing your teeth, scraping your tongue,
spitting into a cup of water, and washing your eyes for a few minutes with
this mixture]. (Wheeler)

However, if you are attracted to treatments that use
superstition,
incantations, amulets,
spells, and
mantras then, by all
means, try Ayurveda. There are many schools in India that grant degrees in
Ayurvedic medicine. No school grants such a degree in the United States and
if you want to practice Ayurveda here you do so as a practitioner of
"alternative" or complementary medicine.